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LIBRARY 

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University  of  California. 


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BANQUET 


Chamber  of  Commerce 


STATE   OF   NEW^-YORK 


OFFICERS     OF     THE    FOREIGN     AND    UNITED 

STATES   SQUADRONS  WHICH  ESCORTED 

THE  SPANISH  CARAVELS  TO  THE 

WATERS    OF    NEW-YORK. 

HOTEL  ■W^.A.XilDOIilF 

APUIL  28,  1893. 

SPEECHES  MADE  ON  THE  OCCASION. 

^   OF  THE 

or 

NEW-  YORK  : 
PRESS    OP    THE    CHAMBER    OP    COMMERCE. 

1893. 

with  the  Compliments  bf 
GEORGE  WILSON, 
Secretariji. 


^.l\^"^ 


<;"^ 


H 


CONTENTS. 


PAOS 

Invitbd  Guests,       .  -       .  .  .  .  .  .7 

Speech  op  Mr.  Alexander  E.  Orr,  First  Vice-President 

OP  the  Chamber  op  Commerce,       .  .  .  .11 

Speech  op  the  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  C.  Potter,  D.  D.,  Bishop 

OP  THE  Diocese  op  New- York,        .  .  .  .17 

Speech  op  the  Hon.  Henry  E.  Howland,       .  .  .19 

Speech  op  Vice- Admiral  Kosnokopp,  op  the  Russian  Navy,  25 
Speech  op  Mr.  E.  Ellery  Anderson,  .  .  .  .26 

Speech  op  the  Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Tracy,       .  .  .28 

Speech  op  Rear-Admiral  D'Abel  De  Libran,  .  .    29 

Speech  op  General  Horace  Porter,    .  .  .  .29 

Speech  op  Sesor  Emilio  de  Muruaoa,  Spanish  Minister,  .  31 
Speech  op  the  Hon.  Charles  S.  Fairchild,   .  .  .32 

Speech  op  Mr.  Elihu  Root,        .  .  .  .  .33 

Speech  op  Mr.  Frederick  J.  De  Peystbr,      .  .  .38 

Speech  op  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Choate,        .  .  .  .41 

Speech   op  Vice- Admiral   Sm  John  O.   Hopkins,  op  the 

British  Navy,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .43 


i24(iB7 


or  THE 

CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 

TO 

Foreign  and  United  States  Naval  Officers. 


The  assemblage  in  the  waters  of  New- York  in  the 
last  week  of  April,  1893,  of  the  squadrons  of  nine 
Foreign  Nations,  together  with  that  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  naval  review  of  this  great  fleet  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  was  an  event 
unexampled  in  history.  These  vessels  were  the 
escort  from  Hampton  Roads  to  the  waters  of  New- 
York  of  the  three  Spanish  Caravels,  quaint  little 
barks  built  upon  the  model  of  those  with  which 
Columbus  crossed  the  unknown  seas  on  his  voyage 
of  discovery,  over  four  hundred  years  ago. 

This  assemblage  seemed  a  proper  occasion  for  the 
Committee  appointed  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
to  extend  its  courtesies  to  distinguished  foreign 
visitors  who  should  pass  through  our  City  in  this 
Columbian  year,  to  welcome  to  our  waters  and  our 
shores  these  representatives  of  our  allied  nations. 
It  should  be  remembered  that  it  was  not  until  a  late 


6 

date  that  the  State  of  New- York,  through  its  Legis- 
lature and  with  the  approval  of  His  Excellency,  the 
Governor,  authorized  an  appropriation  of  money 
for  the  purposes  of  entertainment,  and  delegated  to 
His  Honor,  the  Mayor  of  the  City,  authority  to  dis- 
burse such  appropriation  in  his  discretion. 

Pending  the  uncertainty  of  this  action,  the  Commit- 
tee of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  obtained  from  Rear- 
Admiral  Gtherardi,  who  commanded  the  evolution 
of  the  assembled  squadrons  at  the  naval  review  at 
Hampton  Roads,  and  from  the  Honorable  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy  of  the  United  States,  their  acceptance 
of  a  banquet  to  our  own  officers,  and  their  promise  to 
aid  in  securing  the  attendance  of  the  officers  of  the 
foreign  squadrons.  And  in  fact  the  invitations  to 
such  officers  were  received  and  kindly  distributed 
by  the  executive  officer  of  the  Philadelphia,  the 
flag  ship  of  the  Rear- Admiral. 

On  the  evening  of  April  28,  a  Committee  met  the 
officers  with  carriages  at  the  foot  of  West  Twenty- 
third  Street,  and  escorted  them  to  the  Hotel  Waldorf, 
where  the  banquet  was  set.  Four  hundred  covers 
were  laid  and  over  one  hundred  and  twenty  invited 
guests  were  entertained,  among  whom  eighty-four 
Naval  Officers  were  present,  representing  ten  nations, 
of  which  nine  were  foreign. 

The  occasion  was  one  of  festivity  and  harmony. 
Toasts  were  offered,  to  the  foreign  nations  repre- 
sented, by  distinguished  American  citizens,  and 
responses  were  made  by  the  Spanish  Minister,  who 
alone  of  all  the  Foreign  Ministers  was  able  to  attend 
— his  associates   in  the  Diplomatic    Corps  having 


accompanied  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 
Chicago  to  attend  the  opening  ceremonies  of  the 
Columbian  Exposition.  The  other  responses  were 
made  by  the  Admirals  of  the  squadrons  or  high 
officers  representing  them. 

Mr.  Alexander  E.  Ore,  First  Vice-President  of 
the  Chamber,  presided,  in  the  absence  of  the  Presi- 
dent, Mr.  Charles  S.  Smith,  who  is  on  a  tour 
around  the  world. 

The  invited  guests  were  assigned  seats  in  the  fol- 
lowing order  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  President. 

On  his  right. 

The  Hon.  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Vice- Admiral  Kosnokoff. 

Rear- Admiral  A.  E.  K.  Benham. 

Rear- Admiral  Magnaghi. 

Senor  Emilio  de  Muruaga. 

Rear- Admiral  Gtomez  y  Lono. 

Rear- Admiral  E.  G.  Howard. 

Governor  Roswell  P.  Flower,  op  New- York. 

Major-General  O.  O.  Howard. 

Captain  M.  Sicard. 

Captain  T.  F.  Kane. 

Captain  Besobrasoff. 

Captain  W.  S.  Schley. 

Captain  William  des  V.  Hamilton. 

Captain  H.  F.  Picking. 

Captain  G.  W.  Sumner. 

Captain  S.  C.  Holland. 

Captain  Frederick  Rogers. 


8 

Captain  De  Libero. 
Captain  A.  S.  Barker. 
Captain  J.  P.  Pipon. 
Commander  Edwin  White. 
Captain  Kirchoff. 
Commander  Goodrich. 
Commander  Koellner. 
Commander  J.  S.  Soley. 
Captain  Jos:fe  Paredes. 
Commander  H.  L.  Fleet. 
Captain  Carvalhast. 
Captain  Jos:6  Pedal. 
Lieut. -Commander  Sperry. 
Secretary  Rowe. 
Lieut.  W.  P.  Potter. 
Lieut.  Sidney  A.  Staunton. 
Flag-Lieut.  Roldran. 
Lieut.  William  Kilburn. 
Flag-Lieut.  Aquidaban. 
Lieut.  R.idglp:y  Hunt. 
Lieut.  F.  F.  Fletcher. 
Secretary  to  Vice-Admiral  Kosnokoff. 
Lieut.  Mertz.  ^ 

Ensign  Wood. 

Secretary  to  Rear- Admiral  Magnaghi. 
Secretary  to  Rear- Admiral  Julio  Casar  de 
Noronha. 
Secretary  to  Rear- Admiral  Gtomez  y  Long. 

On  his  left. 

Vice- Admiral  Sir  John  O.  Hopkins. 
Rear-Admiral  Bancroft  Gherardi. 


9 

Reae- Admiral  D'Abel  de  Libran. 
Rear- Admiral  J.  G.  Walker. 
Rear-Admiral  Julio  Casar  de  Noronha. 
Major-General  John  M.  Schofield. 
GfovERNOR  William  E.  Russell,  of  Massachu- 
setts. 
General  Nelson  A.  Miles. 
Commodore  Henry  Erben. 
Mayor  of  New- York. 
Captain  J.  C.  Watson. 
Captain  Zolonoi. 
Captain  Silas  Casey. 
Captain  Pare  ait. 
Captain  F.  J.  Higginson. 
Captain  W.  A.  Arriens. 
Captain  W.  R.  Bridgman. 
Captain  Sartoris. 
Captain  A.  De  Krieger. 
Captain  Prank  Wildes. 
Captain  Buechsel. 
Captain  Benier. 
Captain  Victor  Concas. 
Commander  Bradford. 
Commander  J.  W.  Miller. 
Captain  Juan  Garcia  de  la  Vega. 
Commander  Chadwick. 
Commander  Frantz. 
Lieut. -Commander  Asa  Walker. 
Captain  Menenzos. 
Captain  Rodrigo  Gansad. 
Flag-Lieut.  Sandeman. 
Lieut.  Seaton  Schroeder. 


\. 


Flag-Lieut.  Dimitri  Donskoi. 
Flag-Lieut.  De  Kobien. 
Flag-Lieut.  Casano. 
Lieut.  Buckingham. 
Ensign  Edward  E.  Capehart. 
Ensign  W.  H.  Faust. 
Lieut.  Thorwald  Fritsche. 
Aid  to  Rear- Admiral  E.  G.  Howard,  Argen- 
tine War  Ship  Nuevo  de  Julio. 
Secretary     to     Rear- Admiral     D'Abel     de 

LiBRAN. 

Seated  with  the  members  of  the  Chamber  were  the 
following : 

The  Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Tracy. 
The  Hon.  Charles  P.  Daly. 
Mr.  Joseph  H.  Choate. 
The  Earl  of  Aberdeen. 

The  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  C.  Potter,  D.  B.,  Bishop 
of  the  Diocese  of  New- York. 
The  Hon.  Charles  S.  Fairchild. 
The  Hon.  Henry  E.  Howland. 
The  Hon.  Joseph  Pulitzer. 
Mr.  Frederick  J.  De  Peyster. 
Mr.  E.  Ellery  Anderson. 
Mr.  Charles  R.  Miller. 
Mr.  William  Dodsworth. 
Mr.  Oswald  Ottendorfer. 
Mr.  William  Lane  Booker. 
Mr.  Paul  D'Abzac. 
Mr.  August  Feigel. 


11 

Mr.  Arturo  Baldasano. 
Mr.  John  E.  Planten. 
Mr.  A.  A.  De  Castilho. 
Mr.  Carlos  Carranza. 
Mr.  Giovanni  P.  Riva. 
Mr.  Charles  A.  Dana. 
Mr.  David  M.  Stone. 
Mr.  Horace  White. 
Mr.  Arthur  F.  Bowers. 
Mr.  Hart  Lyman. 
Mr.  Elihu  Root. 
Mr.  John  A.  Cockerill. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  cloth  was  removed,  and  the 
proceedings  of  the  evening  were  inaugurated  by  the 
President  with  the  following  speech  : 

SPEECH    OF    MR.     ALEXANDER    E.     ORR,    FIRST    VICE- 
PRESIDENT  OF  THE  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE. 

To  YOU,  Gentlemen — Officers  of  the  Navies 
OF  THE  Old  and  New  World — who  have  honored 
our  Government  with  the  presence  of  your  respective 
squadrons  in  the  waters  of  our  harbor  on  this  aus- 
picious occasion,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 
State  of  New-York,  by  far  the  oldest  mercantile 
association  in  this  land,  tenders  you  a  very  cordial 
welcome  to  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  United 
States.  [Applause.]  We  esteem  with  favor  your 
courteous  acceptance  of  our  invitation,  thus  afford- 
ing us  the  opportunity  of  thanking  you  in  this 
public  way  for  the  part  you  have  so  effectively 
taken  in  assisting  to  celebrate,  in  a  happy  and  ap- 


12 

propriate  manner,  the  four  hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  most  memorable  event  in  American  history. 
[Applause.]  Never  before  have  we  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  viewing  in  our  waters  a  naval  display  of 
this  magnitude  and  character,  and  we  assure  you  we 
highly  appreciate  the  kindly  interest  you  have  taken 
in  giving  it  success.  [Applause.]  We  heartily  con- 
gratulate you  and  your  respective  countries  upon 
possessing  such  noble  and  efficiently  equipped 
vessels  of  war,  which,  because  of  their  excellence 
and  strength,  and  immense  power  to  commit  mis- 
chief, [laughter  and  applause,]  are,  in  our  judgment, 
the  most  effective  safeguards  that  we  can  have  to 
ensure  a  continuance  of  the  blessings  of  peace. 
[Cheers.] 

Commerce  all  the  world  over  has  a  very  great 
regard  and  high  consideration  for  gentlemen  of  your 
profession.  Of  all  things  else,  to  ensure  the  devel- 
opment of  foreign  commercial  intercourse,  which 
must  be  reciprocal  and  interchangeable  to  prove  suc- 
cessful, commerce  needs  protection  on  the  seas,  a 
protection  that  begets  absolute  confidence  and  re- 
spect. [Applause.]  Accept,  therefore,  our  cordial 
greetings  and  our  wishes  that  your  respective  flags 
may  long  enjoy  a  world-wide  commercial  confidence, 
and  especially  from  those  who  are  charged  with 
operating  the  mercantile  affairs  of  your  respective 
countries.     [Applause.] 

And  to  you,  gentlemen  of  Spain,  [cheers,]  we 
deem  this  a  fitting  opportunity  of  certifying  to  you 
the  respect  and  reverence  in  which,  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic,  is    held    the    name  and  memory  of 


13 

Christophek  Columbus,  [cheers,]  and  the  great 
potentates  who  controlled  the  destinies  of  your 
country  four  hundred  years  ago,  who,  by  their 
generosity,  their  courage  and  their  faith,  made  it 
possible  for  Columbus  to  carry  out  his  high  aspira- 
tions and  higher  destiny,  thereby  making  himself, 
his  patrons  and  his  adopted  country  for  ever  memo- 
rable, and  the  whole  world  his  and  their  debtors  for 
all  time  to  come.     [Applause.] 

We  recall  with  pleasure,  gentlemen  of  Italy, 
[cheers,]  that  within  your  united  borders  is  the 
birthplace  of  the  great  discoverer,  and  that  while 
Spain  very  properly  divides  with  him  the  glory  of 
his  great  achievement,  from  out  your  people,  of 
all  the  peoples  of  Europe,  came  the  only  man  of 
his  generation  who  could  make  that  great  achieve- 
ment possible.     [Applause.] 

And  we  remember  with  gratitude,  gentlemen  of 
France,  [cheers,]  the  many  favors  we  received  from 
your  country  in  the  early  days  of  our  nationality. 
Wherever  you  go  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  this  land,  you  will  find  that  the  name  of  Lafay- 
ette [cheers,]  has  a  very  warm  place  in  all  our 
hearts,  and  that  for  the  red,  white  and  blue  of  your 
Republic,  as  well  as  for  the  flags  of  your  and  our 
sister  republics  of  the  New  World,  Brazil  and  Ar- 
gentina, [cheers,]  whose  officers  we  also  respectfully 
salute,  we  have  a  cordial  and  fraternal  regard. 

Gentlemen  of  the  United  Kingdom,  [cheers,]  it 
was  from  your  King,  George  the  Third,  of  Eng- 
land, that  this  Chamber  received  its  charter  nearly 
a  century  and  a  quarter  ago,  and  it  has  been  guarded 


14 

with  very  jealous  care  ever  since.  Nor  does  the 
story  end  here.  For  his  illustrious  descendant,  the 
noble  lady  who  presides  over  the  destinies  of  your 
great  nation,  as  Queen  and  Empress,  we  have  pro- 
found respect,  [applause,]  while  as  daughter,  wife 
and  mother,  and  for  the  many  tender  sympathies 
she  has  given  to  us  in  times  of  public  calamity  or 
sorrow,  we  return  her  gratitude  and  love.  [Ap- 
plause.] We  have,  on  this  side  the  Atlantic,  a 
trophy  which  we  crossed  the  seas  and  won  from  you 
in  friendly  competition,  some  forty  years  ago,  which, 
under  the  rules,  is  held  subject  to  challenge — and 
although  it  has  been  often  challenged  since,  we  still 
hold  and  will  ever  aim  to  hold  it,  for  we  dearly  prize 
this  challenge  cup,  for  the  reason  that  before  it  came 
to  us  from  you,  your  Queen  gave  to  it  her  Queenly 
name.     [Applause.] 

Although  the  Fatherland  has  attractions  for  her 
sons  second  to  none  on  the  Continent  of  Europe,  you 
will  find,  gentlemen  of  Germany,  [cheers,]  wherever 
you  may  go  throughout  our  land,  a  warm  welcome, 
in  your  mother  tongue.  Many,  very  many  of  your 
brethren  have  found  happy  and  profitable  homes 
within  our  borders — we  hail  their  coming  with  glad- 
ness, and  count  them  among  our  most  cherished  and 
thrifty  citizens.     [Applause.] 

This  is  not  the  first  time,  gentlemen  of  Russia, 
[cheers,]  that  we  have  been  gratified  in  welcoming 
you  to  our  shores.  We  remember,  with  pleasure, 
the  visit  of  your  Grand  Duke  Alexis,  who,  by  his 
genial  courtesy  and  kindly  ways,  won  for  himself  a 
host  of  friends,  and  added  strength  to  the  bonds  of 


15 

friendship  that  have  ever  existed  between  our  re- 
spective countries.     [Applause.] 

Nor  do  we  forget,  gentlemen  of  Holland,  [cheers,] 
that  it  was  your  ancestors  that  taught  the  lesson  of 
honorable  and  upright  dealing  with  the  red  men  of 
this  land,  [applause,]  and  who  acquired  by  right  of 
purchase — while,  in  one  sense,  they  already  held 
possession — Manhattan  Island  from  the  Indians,  on 
which  this  City  now  stands.  It  is  true,  that  from 
the  standpoint  of  to-day,  the  price  paid  looks  small, 
[laughter,]  but  our  annals  give  us  to  understand 
that  it  was  a  full  value  at  the  time,  and  that  many 
consultations  were  held  before  it  was  determined  to 
consummate  the  purchase.  All  honor  be  to  the  Dutch 
who  set  us  this  noble  example,  at  the  time  when 
^' might"  was  too  of  ten  considered  '*  right"  when 
treating  with  a  weaker  people.     [Applause.] 

Do  not  fancy  for  a  moment,  gentlemen  of  our  own 
navy,  [loud  cheers,]  that  we  are  overlooking  your 
claims  to  a  cordial  welcome.  We  Welcome  and  con- 
gratulate you  on  what  has  been  done  and  is  now 
doing  to  insure  to  you  that  place  upon  the  high 
seas  that  properly  belongs  to  the  Navy  of  the  United 
States.  [Applause.]  We  look  for  and  trust  in  con- 
tinued development,  and,  meanwhile,  we  assure  you 
of  our  entire  confidence. 

It  is  not  my  province  or  my  purpose  to  eulogize 
the  name  and  character  of  Christopher  Columbus. 
History  has  long  ago  assigned  him  his  place,  so 
elevated  and  stable  that  the  adverse  criticism  of  four 
centuries  has  not  been  able  to  lower  or  shake  it,  and 
no  poor  words  of  mine  could  add  to  his  high  exalta- 


16 

tion.  [Applause.]  If  there  is  one  thought  in  my 
mind  more  prominent  than  another  at  this  time — 
the  outcome  of  this  memorable  anniversary — it  is  of 
the  marvellous  changes  that  have  taken  place 
through  scientific  research  since  Columbus,  in  faith 
and  hope,  and  with  indomitable  will,  sailed  out  on  to 
an  unknown  sea  to  fulfill  his  mission  of  discovery,  to 
which  he  so  willingly  devoted  his  life.  [Applause.] 
If  the  conditions  of  to-day  are  brought  into  the 
strong  light  of  comparison  with  the  limited  know- 
ledge of  his  generation,  it  makes  his  genius,  his 
courage  and  his  great  faith  more  prominent  and  con- 
spicuous, and,  therefore,  all  the  more  worthy  of  our 
highest  admiration.     [Applause.] 

And  now,  gentlemen,  permit  me,  in  closing,  to 
offer  you  a  toast,  for  which  I  ask  a  cheerful  response 
from  all.  It  is  not  laid  down  in  our  programme,  but- 
I  trust  will  not  be  objected  to  for  that  reason  by  our 
Committee  of  Arrangements. 

If  the  prosody  is  a  little  rough,  believe  me,  the 
sentiment  is  not  the  less  sincere  : 

Here's  to  your  flags,  long  may  they  wave  upon  the  mighty  ocean, 

Each  nation's  pride,  with  us  a  "  Yankee  notion," 

And  may  each  time  they  hail  Columbia's  shore 

Increase  our  friendships,  each  for  other  more  and  ever  more. 

[Loud  cheers.] 

The  President  proposed  the  first  toast  of  the  even, 
ing,  '^The  President  of  the  United  States,"  which 
was  drank  standing,  while  the  orchestra  played 
''Hail  to  the  Chief." 

The  President. — Grentlemen,  as  the  hour  is  late 


17 

and  we  have  many  toasts  on  the  programme,  I  will  fol- 
low closely  the  order  laid  down  by  the  Committee  of 
Arrangements,  viz.,  announce  the  toast,  and  name 
the  gentleman  selected  to  present  it  without  further 
introduction.  I  therefore  give  you,  with  the  greatest 
pleasure,  '' Great  Britain,"  and  call  upon  the  Rt. 
Rev.  Henry  C.  Potter,  B.  D.,  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese  of  New- York,  to  respond. 

speech  of  bishop  potter. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Cham- 
ber OF  Commerce:  I  account  myself  happy  upon 
this  interesting  occasion  that  it  is  my  privilege  to  be 
associated  with  a  toast  so  distinguished  as  that 
which  has  been  proposed.  Those  of  you,  and  I 
fancy  there  were  few  of  you  of  whom  it  was  not  true, 
that  followed  yesterday  the  somewhat  tardy  course 
of  the  President  of  the  United  States  [applause]  as 
he  sailed  to  and  fro  past  the  mighty  squadrons  of 
the  great  nations  represented  in  that  incomparable 
pageant  in  the  waters  of  the  Hudson  yesterday,  will, 
I  venture  to  say,  never  forget  it.  [Applause.]  It 
was  a  moment  when  the  instinct  of  comparison  dis- 
appeared in  the  impulse  of  admiration,  and  when 
whatever  we  saw  and  under  whatever  color  we  saw 
it,  our  eyes  and  our  hearts  united  in  mingled  expres- 
sions of  admiration  and  applause.  But  I  venture  to 
say  that  for  many  of  you  there  was  a  peculiar  and  a 
special  interest  as  we  passed  those  noble  ships  that 
from  their  topmasts  flew  the  flag  of  the  Empire  of 
Great  Britain.     [Applause.] 


18 

In  looking  at  these  ships  we  remembered  for  how 
much  they  stood.  We  remembered  the  history  of 
that  magnificent  navy  which  has  carried  those  colors 
into  every  clime  and  has  planted  them  upon  every 
soil  under  the  sun.  [Applause.]  We  remembered 
that  great  Empire  which  counts  its  subjects  by  hun- 
dreds of  millions,  and  that  wise  and  beneficent  rule 
which  has  stood  for  the  highest  achievements  of 
Christian  civilization.  We  remembered  those  great 
naval  heroes  of  England,  such  as  Deake  and  Fro- 
BiSHER,  and  their  peers,  who  turned  their  faces  west- 
ward, and  what  they  went  for  and  what  they  won. 
We  remembered  the  triumphs  of  Collingwood  and 
JSiELsoN,  and  that  incomparable  valor  of  the  Eng- 
lishman in  arms,  both  on  sea  and  shore,  which  never 
knew  when  it  was  beaten.  We  remembered  Great 
Britain,  for  we  are  sharers  and  beneficiaries  of  the 
laws  of  Alfred  the  Great,  upon  which  the  laws  of 
our  Commonwealth  are  based  ;  we  remembered  that 
tongue  of  Chaucer  and  Shakespeare,  which  is  the 
tongue  of  this  continent  now,  and  the  mighty  tri- 
umphs which  are  witnessed  here  to-day  because  of 
the  mighty  seed  from  which  they  sprung.  [Pro- 
longed applause.] 

There  is  not  one  of  us  here  to-night  who  does  not 
remember,  too,  the  dark  hours  in  which  the  glorious 
and  steadfast  friendship  of  the  Englishman,  John 
Bright,  [renewed  applaud,]  was  one  of  the  sheet 
anchors  of  our  American  hopes.  [Applause.]  What- 
ever may  be  the  future  of  England,  we  thank  her  for 
what  she  has  taught  her  children  in  this  land,  and 
we  ask  those  children  to  be  worthy  of  the  lessons 


19 

which  they  have  learned  at  her  hands.  [Applause.] 
I  give  you,  Mr.  President  and  gentlemen  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New- York,  that  mighty 
empire,  as  our  own  Webstee  said  of  her,  "whose 
morning  drum  beat,  following  the  sun  and  keeping 
company  with  the  hours,  circles  the  earth  with  one 
continuous  and  unbroken  strain  of  the  martial  airs 
of  England."  I  give  you,  gentlemen,  ''  Her  Majesty, 
the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  all  her 
colonies  and  dependencies."  ^  [Applause.] 

The  President. — Gentlemen,  our  next  toast  is 
''Russia,"  and  will  be  responded  to  by  the  Hon. 
Henry  E.  Howland. 

speech  of  the  hon.  henry  e.  howland. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  ;  The  pleasing 
duty  is  assigned  me  of  recognizing  the  largest  and 
one  of  the  foremost  powers  of  Europe,  accompanied 
by  the  suggestion  that  my  time  is  limited.  The 
situation  is  like  that  of  the  clergyman  who  was  sent 
for  in  great  haste  by  a  man  who  was  very  ill,  and 
thought  the  end  was  approaching.  He  said  to  the 
minister  when  he  arrived,  ''I  have  been  a  great  sin- 
ner. I  am  pretty  sick,  and  I  am  afraid  my  time  is 
short,  and  I  want  you  to  pray  with  me.  You  must 
be  brief  but  fervent."     [Laughter.] 

Most  of  us  who  sit  at  this  table,  judging  from  the 
opportunities  I  have  had  of  hearing  them  discourse, 
fulfill  the  requirement  of  Mr.  D' Israeli's  great 
traveller  in  that  they  have  seen  more  than  they 


20 

liave  remembered,  and  remembered  more  tlian  they 
have  seen— [laughter]— but  I  doubt  if  in  all  their 
experience  they  have  ever  sat  in  a  more  genial  and 
attractive  company  than  this.  We  have  here  in  this 
year  of  peace  the  chosen  representatives  of  ten 
nations,  with  all  the  romance  of  the  sea,  the  splendid 
histories  and  traditions  of  their  countries,  and  their 
own  personal  distinction  and  fame  to  make  them 
welcome  and  interesting. 

Already  have  you  conquered  the  land,  and  from 
the  time  you  effected  the  lodgment  at  Fortress 
Monroe  until  you  are  hull  down  on  the  horizon 
on  your  homeward  voyages,  your  progress  will 
prove  to  have  been  a  triumphant  march  into  the 
hearts  and  homes  of  the  people.  [Applause.]  You 
have  stoffes  of  wisdom  and  most  agreeable  experi- 
ences to  accumulate.  Judging  from  press  reports 
you  may  have  thought  you  met  a  fair  type  of  the 
girls  of  America  at  Hampton  Roads.  [Laughter.] 
Wait  until  the  wonderful  resources  of  this  country 
in  this,  its  richest  and  unparalleled  product,  are 
spread  before  you,  [laughter,]  then  you  will  not 
wonder  at  the  mysterious  power  of  Helen  of  Troy, 
who  set  Nations  by  the  ears,  or  the  fascination  of 
the  Queen  of  the  Nile,  who  made  heroes  forget  their 
duty  and  their  homes.  If  you  should  take  any  for 
themselves  alone,  we  should  commend  your  choice, 
and  though  parting  with  them  reluctantly,  should 
wish  you  God  speed.  But  if  their  money  should  be 
your  object,  we  are  just  now  objecting  to  the  expor- 
tation of  gold  and  trying  to  maintain  our  reserves. 
[Laughter.] 


Whatever  your  nationality,  you  will  find  a  large 
and  prosperous  contingent  of  it  in  this  City,  the 
majority  of  whose  municipal  officers,  however, 
belong  to  that  race  which  looks  to  Mr.  Gladstonp: 
as  its  saviour,  and  believes  that  when  an  Irishman 
dies  it's  because  there  is  an  angel  short.  [Great 
laughter.]  You  will  find  here  a  wonderful  power  of 
brag,  which  developes  as  you  seek  the  setting  sun. 
Some  inquiring  spirits  will  be  moved  to  ask  you 
what  you  think,  of  this  country,  and  if  you  goto 
the  World's  Fair  some  adventurous  person  may  ask 
your  opinion  of  Chicago.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
a  favorable  opinion  cannot  be  too  highly  colored, 
and,  if  tinted  with  vermilion,  will  conduce  to  the 
pleasure  of  your  stay.  [Laughter.]  You  will  have 
little  opportunity  to  admire  the  wonders  of  our 
natural  scenery,  save  at  Niagara.  You  will  be  able 
to  appreciate  the  reply  of  an  American  Naval  officer 
to  an  English  friend  in  Italy,  when  each  had  been 
maintaining  the  superiority  of  his  own  country. 
Finally  the  grand  spectacle  of  Mount  Vesuvius  in 
eruption,  throwing  its  brilliant  rays  across  the  Bay 
of  Naples,  burst  upon  their  astonished  gaze. 

**Now,  look  at  that,"  said  the  Englishman. 
''  You  haven't  got  anything  in  America  that  comes 
anywhere  near  that." 

'*No,"  replied  the  Yankee,  ''we  haven't  got  a 
Vesuvius,  but  we  have  got  a  waterfall  that  could 
put  that  thing  out  in  less  than  five  minutes."  [Im- 
mense laughter.] 

At  Chicago  your  professional  instinct  will  lead 
you  to  admire  a  magnificent  turreted  battleship, 


which,  in  consequence  of  a  convention  with  England 
that  neither  shall  maintain  a  fleet  upon  the  great 
lakes,  is  built  upon  piles,  and  of  such  substantial 
material  that  there  are  fears  it  cannot  withstand  the 
atmospheric  concussion  from  the  firing  of  the  big 
Krupp  gun.  But  I  need  not  rehearse  the  experi- 
ences to  come.  You  would  weary  in  their  telling. 
We  shall  keep  you  as  long  as  possible,  and  be 
loathe  to  part  with  you.  And  if  we  have  our  way, 
your  experience  will  be  that  of  the  old  lady  who 
was  travelling  on  the  underground  railroad  in 
London.  Just  as  they  were  approaching  a  station, 
she  said  to  a  gentleman  in  the  compartment  with 
her,  ^'Will  you  assist  me  to  alight  at  this  station, 
sir.  I  am,  as  you  see,  rather  stout,  and  I  have  a 
physical  infirmity  which  makes  it  necessary  for  me 
to  step  out  backwards,  and  every  time  I  try  to  get 
out  a  guard  bundles  me  back  into  the  car,  shouts 
*all  aboard,'  shuts  the  door,  and  T  ve  gone  around 
this  line  three  times  already."     [Great  laughter.] 

At  this  gate  of  the  continent  we  begin  the  pageant 
of  the  Columbian  Exposition.  By  the  cruel  irony 
of  fate  the  promoters  and  sponsors  of  this  great  dis- 
play can  have  no  hand  in  the  affair.  The  Spaniards 
liave  a  proverb  that  you  can' t  at  the  same  time  ring 
the  bell  and  be  in  the  procession ;  [laughter ;]  and 
although  you  can  make  Chicago  a  seaport  by  Act 
of  Congress,  you  cannot  get  a  fleet  of  6,000-ton  iron- 
clads over  a  thousand  miles  of  land,  even  on  the 
Chicago  Limited,  or  the  Empire  Express— [laughter] 
— and  so  we  New-Yorkers  appropriate  this  as  our 


23 

private,  peculiar,  particular  Exhibition  ;  as  Touch- 
stone says,  ''  A  poor  thing,  sir,  but  our  own." 

It  is  not  given  to  many  men  in  their  experience  to 
see  such  a  sight  as  is  now  spread  before  us  on  the 
waters  of  the  harbor  of  New- York.  The  might  and 
majesty  of  the  great  nations  of  the  earth  are  here 
represented  in  their  fleets,  which  typify  the  country 
afloat,  as  the  valor,  the  ability  and  the  distinction 
of  their  officers  represent  that  of  their  peoples. 
Former  antagonists  here  float  side  by  side.  Peace 
broods  over  the  armored  sides  of  battle  ships,  and  the 
feverish  lips  of  their  guns  speak  only  salutes  of 
friendship  and  courtesy.  It  is  a  pity  that  it  is  not 
always  so. 

Among  the  flags  that  float  from  the  mastheads  of 
the  fleet  in  yonder  harbor  there  is  one — the  blue  St. 
Andrew's  cross — that  represents  an  empire  of  over 
8,000,000  square  miles  of  more  diversified  races  than 
any  other  in  Europe  ;  that  reaches  from  the  Baltic 
to  the  Pacific — from  the  Arctic  to  the  Black  Sea ; 
that  receives  the  allegiance  of  over  103,000,000  of 
people,  and  from  its  great  white  throne  on  the 
shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Finland  directs  the  destinies 
of  its  subjects  and  shapes  the  policy  of  Europe. 
[Applause.] 

That  flag  is  not  unfamiliar  in  these  waters.  In 
the  battle  summer  of  1863 — thirty  years  ago — while 
we  were  engaged  in  a  life  and  death  struggle  for 
national  existence  and  the  preservation  of  the  Union, 
it  floated  over  the  fleet  of  Admiral  Ltssoffski  in 
this  harbor — a  signal  of  friendship,  encouragement 
and  protection  against  foreign  interference,  pending 


24 

the  settlement  of  the  issues  of  our  Civil  War.  No 
diplomatic  declaration  was  made,  no  threat  was 
uttered,  no  sign  was  given  ;  we  only  knew  the  flag 
was  there,  and  if  it  meant  anything,  that  the  power 
of  one  of  the  mightiest  nations  of  Europe  was 
behind  it.     We  now  know  from  what  it  saved  us. 

"  When  darkness  hid  the  starry  skies 
In  war's  long  winter  night, 
One  ray  still  cheered  our  straining  eyes, 
The  far-off  Northern  Light." 

No  American  who  loves  his  country  can  forget 
that  incident  in  our  hour  of  agony,  nor  the  friendly 
significance  of  that  flag.  It  was  an  American  cap- 
tain who  used  the  expression  which  has  become 
historic,  when  he  went  to  the  relief  of  his  English 
brother  in  arms  at  the  storming  of  the  Pei  Ho  Forts, 
that  ''blood  is  thicker  than  water,"  and  while  it 
courses  in  the  veins  of  a  loyal  American  he  will  re- 
member with  grateful  appreciation  the  sympathy 
and  the  moral  support,  more  powerful  than  armed 
battalions  or  cruisers  of  Alexander  IL,  who,  like 
our  Lincoln,  freed  his  serfs,  and,  like  him,  while 
serving  his  people,  fell  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin. 

Gentlemen,  who  serve  His  Imperial  Majesty,  the 
Czar,  we  salute  you  and  your  flag  under  whatever 
skies  or  on  whatever  sea  it  floats.  We  remind  you 
that  we  are  not  ungrateful.  The  best  we  have  is 
yours,  the  Nation  presents  arms  as  you  pass  in  re- 
view, and  as  our  borders  approach  each  other  in  the 
frozen  zone,  so,  when  we  meet  you  here, 


25 

**  Though  our  hearts  were  as  dry  as  the  shell  on  the  sand, 
They  would  fill  like  the  goblet  I  hold  in  my  hand." 

"  Bleak  are  our  shores  in  the  blast  of  December, 
Fettered  and  chill  is  the  rivulet's  flow. 
Throbbing  and  warm  are  the  hearts  that  remember 
Who  was  our  friend  when  the  world  was  our  foe. 

"  Fires  of  the  North  in  eternal  communion, 

Blend  your  broad  flashes  with  evening's  bright  star, 
God  bless  the  Empire  that  loves  our  great  Union  1 
Strength  to  her  people  I    Long  life  to  the  Czar  1'* 

At  the  close  of  Ex- Judge  Howland's  speech, 
three  cheers  for  the  Czar  of  Russia  were  given  with 
enthusiasm.  Vice- Admiral  Kosnokoff,  of  the  Rus- 
sian Navy,  replied  in  English  as  follows : 

SPEECH  OF  VICE-ADMIRAL  KOSNOKOFF. 

GrENTLEMEN  :  I  think  you  will  seldom  find  a  good 
speaker  among  the  Czeks,  but  I  will  try  to  express 
our  feelings  and  take  the  opportunity  to  do  it  at  the 
present  time.  My  squadron  is  a  bond  stretched 
across  the  ocean,  from  Russia  to  the  United  States, 
as  a  good,  friendly  shake- hands  with  the  people  of 
the  United  States.  [Applause.]  Russia  will  never 
forget  the  assistance  you  gave  when  in  the  difficulties 
of  last  year.  It  is  well  to  recognize  our  true  friends, 
and  Russia  extends  her  friendship,  and  sends  you 
her  compliments.  [Applause.]  I  am  very  happy  to 
be  the  interpreter  of  the  feelings  of  my  people  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States.  [Applause.]  Grod  bless 
the  people  of  the  United  States.     [Applause.] 


26 

The  President, — Gentlemen,  the  next  regular 
toast  is  "Italy,"  and  I  shall  ask  Mr.  E.  Elleey 
Anderson  to  respond. 

SPEECH    OP   MR.    E.    ELLERY  ANDERSON. 

Mr.  President:  In  the  midst  of  the  cordial 
greetings  which  the  last  born  of  the  great  nations 
of  the  earth  extends  to  the  more  mature  members 
of  the  family  of  nations  there  is  none  to  whom  we 
would  proffer  a  warmer  welcome  than  to  Italy. 
Ages  ago  our  ancestors,  men  of  the  North,  irresisti- 
bly attracted  by  the  many  enchantments  of  the 
country  where  the  orange  trees  blossom,  poured 
in  countless  thousands  into  the  sunny  land  of  the 
South.  Perhaps  it  is  a  surviving  echo  of  the  feeling 
which  prompted  those  great  migrations  which  causes 
our  hearts  to-day  to  do  constant  homage  to  the  land 
of  music,  of  song  and  of  poetry.     [Applause.] 

What  nation  can  call  a  more  glorious  roll  of  the 
creators  of  the  beautiful  in  art  ?  Dante,  Ariosto, 
Petrarch,  Tasso  and  Alfieri,  in  poetry ;  in  paint- 
ing, Leonardo  da  Yinci,  the  two  Palmas,  Titian, 
Paul  Veronese,  Michael  Angelo,  Raphael, 
CoRREGio,  GrUiDO — I  pause  only  because  I  should 
outnumber  the  stars  of  the  heavens  if  I  should 
undertake  to  name  them  all.  In  music,  Bellini, 
Donizetti,  Rossini,  and  that  Gladstone  of  the  art 
of  sweet  sounds,  Verdi,  who,  at  eighty-two,  creates 
forms  of  melody  and  harmony  as  full  of  force  and 
passion  as  in  the  fire  of  his  early  youtii. 

Nor  is  it  merely  in  the  creation  of  artistic  concep- 


27 

tions  that  Italy  stands  foremost;  in  the  power  of 
giving  them  articulate  expression,  so  that  mankind 
may  share  with  their  creator  the  deepest  enjoyment 
of  these  almost  divine  gifts,  she  is  unsurpassed.  The 
memories  of  Maeio,  of  Salvi,  of  Campanini  and  of 
Alboni,  and  of  Adelina  Patti,  who,  although  born 
in  Spain,  is  an  Italian,  bear  witness  to  this.  Equally 
great  in  the  histrionic  art,  Kistoei,  Salvini,  and 
our  latest  visitor,  that  sweet  daughter  of  Italy, 
the  echoes  of  whose  voice  still  linger  in  ]N'ew-Y6rk, 
of  whom  we  can  say  that  we  scarce  know  whether  we 
loved  her  best  in  tears  or  in  laughter,  so  tender  were 
the  former,  and  so  true  to  nature  the  latter. 

But  of  all  these  ties  which  bind  us  to  Italy,  the 
closest  is  the  fact  that  it  was  part  of  the  creative 
faculty  of  her  race  that  inspired  in  the  great  Colum- 
bus the  conception  of  the  discovery  of  the  distant 
Indies,  and  it  was  part  of  the  restless  demand  to  give 
formal  expression  and  satisfaction  to  this  dream  of 
the  inventor  that  led  him  to  wander  over  the  face  of 
the  unknown  seas  until  he  gave  to  the  world  a  new 
continent,  to  mankind  a  new  abiding  place,  and  to 
liberty  an  imperishable  home. 

Admiral  and  officers  of  the  Italian  fleet,  we  greet 
you  and  bid  you  most  heartily  welcome.  May  the 
ties  of  mutual  affection  and  esteem  forever  bind 
together  our  own  dear  land  and  yours. 

Viva  rAmerica,  land  of  the  free  1 
Viva  ritalia,  madre  del  bello  1 

Rear-Admiral  Magnaghi,  of  the  Italian  Navy, 
replied  in  a  brief  speech,  thanking  the  Chamber  of 


28 

Commerce  for  its  courtesy,  and  tlie  speaker  for  his 
kind  allusions  to  his  native  land. 

The  President. —Gentlemen,  the  next  regular 
toast  is  "France,"  and  will  be  responded  to  by  the 
Hon,  Benjamin  F.   Tracy,   late  Secretary  of  the 

Navy. 

speech  op  the  HON.  BENJAMIN  F.  TEACY. 

Mr.  President  :  The  French  fleet  is  very  wel- 
come in  American  waters.  The  vessels  belonging  to 
that  nation,  now  in  our  noble  harbor,  have  carried 
the  mind  of  every  American  back  to  the  visit  of 
another  French  fleet  112  years  ago,  the  fleet  of 
twenty-eight  ships  of  the  line,  commanded  by  Count 
De  Grasse,  which  entered  the  Chesapeake  Bay  on 
the  18th  of  August,  1781.  At  that  moment  the  fate 
of  the  Nation  was  trembling  in  the  balance.  The 
presence  of  De  Grasse  and  Rochambeau  turned 
the  scale,  and  the  honor  of  the  victory  at  Yorktown 
was  shared  by  our  generous  allies.  That  victory 
closed  the  Revolutionary  War  and  established  our 
independence  as  a  nation.     [Applause.] 

The  United  States  is  the  friend  of  all  the  world. 
It  seeks  and  desires  the  good  will  of  all  and  the 
enmity  of  none.  But  we  can  never  forget  the  great 
service  rendered  to  us  by  France,  and  the  debt  of 
gratitude  we  owe  her  for  aid  in  the  days  when  our 
existence  depended  upon  that  service.  She  has  been 
for  more  than  a  hundred  years  our  friend,  and  the 
toast  I  would  give  to-night  is,  '^  May  the  friendship 
which  has  thus  existed'  between  France  and  the 


or  <->\i 
of 


29 

United  States  for  the  last  hundred  years  never  be 
broken  in  the  centuries  to  come."     [Applause.] 

Rear- Admiral  D'Abel  de  Libran,  of  the  French 
Navy,  replied  to  Mr.  Tracy  as  follows : 

SPEECH  OF  REAR-ADMIRAL  d'ABEL   DE  LIBRAN. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  :  It  is  my  very 
pleasant  duty  to  answer  the  toast  to  France.  In 
the  magnificent  display  which  we  have  witnessed, 
allow  me  to  say  that  in  this  land  discovered  by 
Columbus  we  see  a  beautiful  nation,  a  great  nation, 
receiving  the  older  nations,  and  we  are  flattered. 
Certainly  we  go  to  all  the  places  of  this  country — in 
Boston,  the  great  city,  the  imperial  town,  and  to 
our  aristocratic  Chicago,  [applause,]  and  in  all  these 
great  American  cities  we  are  received  as  good 
fellows.  I  send  the  American  people,  I  send  the 
American  Navy  our  best  wishes  for  the  honor  and 
prosperity  of  the  United  States,  and  to  her  most 
respected  President.     [Applause.] 

The  President.— Gentlemen,  the  next  toast  on 
our  programme  is  ''Spain,"  and  to  which  General 
Horace  Porter  will  respond. 

speech   of  general  HORACE  PORTER. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  :  America  is  in 
no  sense  lacking  in  appreciation  of  the  distinguished 
honors  accorded  to  her  by  foreign  powers  in  this 
year  which  marks  so  important  an  epoch  in  her 


30 

history,  for  in  our  young  land  history  is  recorded 
not  by  years  but  by  events.  The  heart  of  America 
has  been  profoundly  touched  by  the  kindly  greetings 
and  cordial  expressions  of  sympathy  which  have 
been  extended  to  her  by  lands  beyond  the  seas, 
and  especially  by  those  governments  which  have 
sent  their  fleets  to  her  shores  ;  fleets  of  giant  vessels 
which  go  forth  breathing  the  hot  breath  of  their 
power  and  looking  like  impregnable  castles  built 
upon  the  sea,  but  which  come  to  us  in  our  season 
of  rejoicing,  not  as  grim  engines  of  war,  but  as  white- 
winged  messengers  of  peace.  [Prolonged  applause.] 
To  me  has  been  assigned  to-night  the  very  agreea- 
ble duty  of  proposing  a  toast  in  honor  of  a  great 
historic  nation  of  the  Old  World,  the  history  of 
which  reads  more  like  romance  than  reality ;  a 
nation  which  once  startled  and  amazed  the  world  by 
the  magnitude  of  her  fleets ;  a  nation  which  was  the 
first  to  dip  the  fringes  of  her  banners  in  the  waters 
of  the  Western  seas ;  a  nation  which  is  the  father- 
land of  a  great  continent,  and  which  has  given  her 
language  to  all  save  one  of  our  sister  republics  of 
the  New  World ;  [applause  ;]  a  nation  which  has 
added  an  inexpressible  interest  to  our  quadri-cen- 
tennial  celebrations  by  sending  to  us  duplicates  of 
those  historic  caravels,  those  brave  little  craft, 
diminutive  in  size,  frail  in  structure,  but  which  rode 
the  waves  long  enough  to  penetrate  the  mystery  of 
the  seas,  to  reconstruct  the  map  of  the  world,  to 
shed  upon  the  gloom  of  the  dark  ages  the  light  of  a 
new  civilization ;  [great  applause  ;]  a  nation  from 
whose  borders  comes  to  us  as  an  honored  guest  of  our 


31 

Government,  one  in  whom  we  are  proud  to  recognize  a 
lineal  descendant  of  that  illustrious  navigator  who, 
by  his  indomitable  courage,  his  steadfast  faith  and 
his  rare  intellectual  acquirements,  was  able  to  break 
the  shackles  of  superstition,  to  calm  the  fears  of 
timid  men,  to  surmount  impossibilities,  and  to  give 
a  new  world  to  commerce,  to  science  and  to  civiliza- 
tion.    [Applause  and  cheers.] 

I  speak  of  a  nation,  the  generosity  and  foresight 
of  whose  sovereigns  made  possible  the  discovery  of 
our  own  land — a  land  which  has  become  the  home 
of  so  many  happy  and  prosperous  people.  America, 
I  am  sure,  is  in  no  wise  lacking  in  gratitude  for  the 
prosperity  which  has  fallen  to  her  lot.  As  a  parent 
often  finds  his  deepest  affections  centering  around 
the  child  of  his  advanced  years,  so  have  special 
favors  been  bestowed  upon  America,  the  child  of  the 
Earth's  old  age.     [Long  continued  applause.] 

And  now,  gentlemen,  I  ask  you  to  fill  your  glasses, 
and  to  drink  with  all  the  honors  to  the  sunny  land 
of  Spain. 

The  Spanish  Minister,  Seiior  Emilio  de  Mueuaga, 
replied  for  his  country  in  a  brief  speech.  He  said, 
that  in  this  instance  the  American  Republic  has  ex- 
ceeded its  former  ideas  of  Jeffersonian  simplicity. 
He  proposed,  as  a  toast,  the  "  President  of  the  United 
States  and  its  broad  and  wise  Constitution." 

The  Peesident. — Gentlemen,  our  next  toast  is 
''Brazil,"  and  I  ask  the  Hon.  Chaeles  S.  Faieohild 
to  reply. 


32 


SPEECH   OF  THE  HON.    CHARLES   S.    FAIRCHILD. 

Mr.  President  :  In  proposing  the  toast  to  Brazil, 
we  cannot  forget  that  it  was  one  of  those  who  was 
with  Columbus  on  his  first  voyage  of  discovery  that 
first  landed  upon  the  shores  of  that  country,  and 
therefore  it  is  particularly  fit  that  she  should  be 
represented  in  this  year  which  celebrates  the 
coming  of  Columbus  and  his  men  to  our  American 
shores.  As  we  were  going  up  the  line  of  the 
ships  the  other  day,  the  first  guns  which  saluted 
the  representative  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States  began  to  boom  from  the  Brazilian  ships. 
It  seemed  to  me  an  interesting  thought  that  here, 
with  their  war  vessels  anchored  side  by  side  in 
peace,  were  descendants  of  all  those  peoples  that  had 
struggled  and  fought  upon  that  lonely  Brazilian  coast 
in  the  early  days  after  its  discovery.  Within  that 
struggle  was  the  Spaniard,  the  Portuguese,  the  Eng- 
lishman, the  Dutchman,  the  Frenchman  ;  all  were 
there  engaged  in  a  bloody,  senseless  strife  for  the 
domination  of  a  country  which  was  great  enough  to 
hold  them  all  in  peace,  and  profitably  employ  them, 
had  they  only  had  the  wisdom  to  see  wherein  was 
their  true  advantage.     [Applause.] 

You,  of  Brazil,  have  a  kindly  greeting  from  us 
always;  you  cheer  us  at  our  morning  meal  with 
your  delicious  coffee ;  you  enable  us  from  the  use  of 
your  cheap  hides,  products  of  your  boundless  plains, 
and  to  which  we  apply  the  skill  and  inventive 
genius  of  our  people,  to  keep  well  shod  the  greater 


33 

part  of  mankind.  The  other  day,  at  the  review,  we 
were  particularly  grateful  to  you,  because  with  that 
other  useful  product  of  yours,  your  rubber,  you  kept 
thousands  and  thousands  of  our  people  dry  and 
comfortable  under  the  driving  rain,  and  enabled 
them  thus  to  view  the  interesting  and  inspiriting 
scene.  But  you  are  particularly  welcome  to  us  here 
in  the  United  States,  because  you  are  the  last  and 
youngest  of  Republics.  [Applause.]  You  have 
completed  the  roll  of  States  which  have  come  under 
oiir  form  of  government,  and  have  at  last  carried 
out  to  completion  the  manifest  destiny  of  this 
American  continent.     [Applause.] 

With  all  our  hearts,  we  propose  the  well  being 
and  prosperity  of  the  Republic  of  Brazil.  [Ap- 
plause.] 

Rear- Admiral  Julio  Casar  de  Noronha,  of  the 
Brazilian  Navy,  in  reply,  proposed  the  toast,  '^The 
People  of  the  American  Republic,"  which  was  drank 
with  enthusiasm. 

The  President  gave  the  next  toast,  the  ''  Argentine 
Republic,"  and  called  upon  Mr.  Elihu  Root  to 
respond. 

SPEECH   OF  MR.    ELIHU  ROOT. 

Mr.  President  :  It  is  my  pleasant  province  to 
respond  to  a  toast  to  an  offspring  of  old  Spain,  a 
direct  lineal  descendant,  an  inheritor  of  her  blood, 
her  faith  and  her  language. 


34 

It  is  to  only  a  young  Republic,  only  an  American 
Republic. 

No  historic  centuries  invest  her  with  romance  or 
with  interest ;  but  she  is  great  in  glorious  promise 
of  the  future,  and  great  in  manifest  power  to  fulfill 
the  promise. 

Far  away  to  the  southward,  beyond  the  great 
Empire  of  the  Amazon,  beyond  the  equatorial  heats, 
there  stretches  a  vast  land,  from  the  latitude  of 
Cuba  on  the  north  to  the  latitude  of  Hudson's  Bay 
on  the  south,  and  from  the  Andes  to  the  Eastern 
Sea.  In  this  land  mighty  rivers  flow  through  vast 
forests,  and  immeasurable  plains  stretch  from  ocean 
to  mountains,  with  a  soil  of  inexhaustible  fertility, 
under  every  variety  of  healthful  and  invigorating 
climate. 

All  this  we  know  ;  but  we  must  not  forget,  and  we 
cannot  forget  to-night,  that  this  great  land,  capable 
of  supporting  in  plenty  all  the  teeming  millions  of 
Europe,  is  possessed  by  the  people  of  a  free  consti- 
tutional republic,  of  all  the  sisterhood  of  nations,  in 
form,  in  feature  and  in  character,  the  most  like  to 
ourselves.     [Applause.] 

For  forty  years  the  Argentine  Republic  has  lived 
and  governed  itself  under  a  constitution  in  all  mate- 
rial respects  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States.  [Applause.]  Its  consti- 
tution was  avowedly  modelled  after  ours.  For  forty 
years,  in  fourteen  separate  States  like  our  own,  the 
people  of  Argentina  have  preserved  the  sacred  right 
of  local  self-government.  For  forty  years  they  have 
maintained  at  the  same  time  the  sovereignty  of  their 


35 

nation  ;  and  by  tlie  constancy  of  their  past  they 
have  given  a  high  and  ever-increasing  credit  to  their 
promise  that  for  the  future,  under  Southern  Cross  as 
under  Northern  Star,  government  by  the  people,  of 
the  people  and  for  the  people,  shall  endure.  [Ap- 
plause.] 

Under  this  constitutional  system  they  have  framed 
for  themselves  wise  and  liberal  laws.  They  have 
constructed  extensive  works  of  internal  improve- 
ment ;  and  water-ways,  and  railroads,  and  telegraph 
lines,  all  invite  to  the  development  of  their  vast  natu- 
ral wealth.  They  have  established  universal  religious 
toleration.  They  have  protected  the  rights  of  private 
property  and  of  personal  liberty.  They  have  created 
and  maintained  a  great  system  of  public  education. 
In  more  than  three  thousand  public  common  schools 
over  a  quarter  of  a  million  children  are  to-day 
learning  how  to  be  good  citizens.  Grading  up  from 
these  common  schools  through,  lyceums  in  every 
State  and  two  great  universities,  the  pathway  of 
higher  education  is  open  to  all  the  people  of  the 
Republic.     [Applause.] 

Under  such  a  constitution  and  such  laws  Argen- 
tina has  made  greater  material  progress  and  greater 
advance  in  the  art  of  self-government,  during  our 
generation,  than  any  people  upon  the  western  hemi- 
sphere, unless  it  be,  perhaps,  our  own.     [Applause.] 

We  remember,  too,  that  the  people  of  Argentina, 
like  our  own  fathers,  won  their  liberty  by  struggle 
and  by  sacrifice.  They  made  their  fight  for  inde- 
pendence at  a  time  when  Europe  was  exhausted  by 
the  Napoleonic  wars.    They  attracted  but  little  at- 


36 

tention  and  less  aid  from  the  Old  World.  No  Byron 
enshrined  their  heroism  in  deathless  verse  ;  no  Rous- 
seau with  the  philosophy  of  humanity  awoke  for 
them  generous  and  effective  enthusiasm  in  the 
breasts  of  a  Lafayette  or  a  Rochambeau,  a  Yon 
Steuben  or  a  Kosciusko. 

Alone  and  unaided  they  fought  their  fight.  De- 
pendent upon  themselves,  on  the  ^th  of  July, 
seventy-seven  years  ago,  they  made  their  own  decla- 
ration of  independence,  [applause,]  commemorated 
in  the  name  of  that  thing  of  beauty  and  of  power 
which  to-day  floats  upon  the  bosom  of  the  Hudson, 
a  peer  among  the  embattled  navies  of  the  world. 
They  made  good  that  declaration  against  all  odds, 
through  hardship,  through  suffering,  through  seas 
of  blood,  with  desperate  valor  and  lofty  heroism, 
worthy  the  plaudits  of  the  world.     [Applause,] 

And  then  they  conquered  themselves  ;  learned  the 
hard  lesson  of  subordinating  personal  ambition  to 
law,  to  order,  to  the  public  weal. 

And  to-day  more  people  than  followed  Washing- 
ton with  their  hopes  and  prayers  enjoy  the  blessings 
of  liberty  and  peace,  and  the  security  of  established 
and  equal  laws,  won  for  them  by  the  patriots  who 
gave  their  lives  for  their  country  on  the  plains  of 
Argentina.     [Applause.] 

These  people  have  not  only  done  all  this  for  them- 
selves, but  they  also  have  opened  their  arms  to  all 
the  people  of  the  earth,  and  have  welcomed  to  their 
shores  the  poor,  the  humble,  the  downcast  of  all 
lands.  [Applause.]  So  that  scores  of  thousands  of 
French,    of    Italians,   of    Germans,   of  English,  of 


37 

Spaniards,  coming  not  as  their  fathers  came,  in 
mailed  forms  to  conquer  savage  foes — but  under 
peaceful  flags — a  million  and  a  half  of  men  from  all 
civilized  lands  of  Europe,  have  come  to  share  the 
peace,  the  plenty  and  the  freedom  of  the  young 
Republic ;  and  to  contribute  to  her  prosperity  and 
wealth.  Every  guest  at  our  board  to-night  may  feel 
his  pulses  beat  in  unison  with  the  sentiment  of 
health  and  prosperity  to  the  new  land  where  his 
own  kindred  have  found  new  homes  and  hopes. 
[Applause.] 

If  there  be  truth  in  the  philosophy  of  history— if 
the  crossing  of  stocks,  the  blending  of  races,  makes 
the  strong  new  race,  with  capacity  and  power  to 
press  forward  and  upward  the  standard  of  civiliza- 
tion, the  future  is  to  find  the  people  of  Argentina  in 
the  fore-front  of  human  progress.     [Applause.] 

And  so,  from  the  Hudson  to  the  La  Plata,  from 
the  plains  to  the  Pampas,  from  the  Rockies  to  the 
Andes,  from  the  old  American  Republic  to  the  young 
American  Republic,  from  sister  to  sister,  with  the 
same  convictions  and  hopes  and  aspirations,  we  send 
sincere  and  hearty  greeting,  congratulation  and  God 
speed.     [Applause.] 

Real- Admiral  E.  G.  Howaed,  of  the  Argentine 
Navy,  thanked  those  who  had  done  honor  to  his 
country,  and  declared  that  the  Argentine  Republic 
would  always  feel  the  greatest  regard  to  the  mother 
of  Republics,  the  United  States. 

The  President  gave  the  next  toast,  ''The  Nether- 


38 

lands,"  which  was  responded  to  by  Mr.  Frederick 
J.  De  Peyster,  as  follows : 

SPEECH   OF   MR.    FREDERICK  J.    DE  PEYSTER. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  :  If  history- 
teaches  any  one  lesson  with  peculiar  force,  it  is  that 
her  most  splendid  pages  have  been  contributed,  not 
by  giant  empires,  but  by  such  diminutive  States  as 
Palestine  and  Greece,  the  storied  republics  of  medi- 
aeval Italy,  and  the  glorious  little  land  for  which  I 
have  the  honor  to  respond  to-night.  Glory  is  the 
child,  not  of  quantity,  but  of  quality.  It  is  not  the 
land  which  makes  the  people,  but  the  people  the 
land.  What,  then,  must  have  been  the  force  of  that 
people  who,  for  a  century,  made  a  mere  sand  bank 
in  the  German  Ocean  the  first  commercial  power  in 
the  world,  and  have  kept  it  for  three  centuries  the 
richest  State  on  the  Continent  of  Europe  ? 

Peaceful  industry  was  the  secret  of  their  success. 
All  their  victories  were  either  over  nature  or  in 
defence  of  their  homes. 

Soil,  climate  and  powerful  enemies  were  against 
them ;  but  over  all  they  triumphed  by  the  force  of 
untiring,  dauntless  energy. 

The  sails  of  Holland  whitened  every  sea,  when 
Genoa  and  Venice  were  tottering  to  their  fall,  and 
before  the  might  of  England  arose.     [Applause.] 

She  planted  on  the  shores  of  the  Zuyder  Zee 
an  art  as  splendid  as  any  which  ever  flourished 
by  the  Mediterranean,  except  in  classic  Greece 
alone.    Bear  witness  the  immortal  names  of  Franz 


a9 

Hals,  Gerard  Douw,  Paul  Potter,  and,  above 
all,  Rembrandt.  Those  of  you  who  saw  in  the 
recent  Loan  Collection  the  magnificent  pictures  by 
Rembrandt  and  Franz  Hals  know  that  I  am  only 
praising  the  art  of  the  Netherlands  as  it  should  be 
praised.  The  Americans  who  saw  those  pictures 
know  what  high  art  is,  and  though  Rembrandt  has 
been  for  two  centuries  in  his  grave,  there  is  little 
danger  that  any  modern  painter  will  rob  him  of  his 
laurels. 

Erasmus,  of  Rotterdam,  was  the  first  scholar  of 
the  age.  While  the  father  of  all  sound  political 
economy  was  the  illustrious  Dutchman,  Grotius. 

When  the  Netherlands  realized  what  an  imperfect 
instrument  the  pen  was  for  preserving  knowledge, 
Dutch  genius  presented  mankind  with  the  printing 
press,  and  thought  became  immortal.  GtAlileo 
longed  and  longed  in  vain  to  sweep  through  the 
abysses  of  space  and  study  the  stars  until  the  genius 
of  another  Dutchman  invented  the  telescope,  and 
the  work  was  done.  And  that  man  might  realize 
that  the  little  was  not  less  wonderful  than  the  vast, 
Holland  gave  to  him  the  microscope  as  well.  [Ap- 
plause.] 

The  devotion  of  the  people  of  the  Netherlands  to 
civil  and  religious  liberty  made  their  land  the  refuge 
of  the  persecuted  of  all  races  and  of  all  religions. 
The  history  of  Holland  furnishes  pages  as  brilliant 
as  any  that  Greece  and  Rome  can  boast.  The  names 
of  Van  Tromp,  De  Ruyter,  Van  Speyk,  and 
many  another  naval  hero  will  be  forgotten  only  when 
history  ceases  to  be  studied.     While  the  defence  of 


40 

Haarlem,  Alkmar  and  Leyden,  was  not  by  soldiers, 
but  by  men,  women  and  cliildren,  who  suffered  and 
died  for  the  Fatherland,  yet  that  defence  is  the  noblest 
story  of  modern  times.  And  when,  on  two  occa- 
sions, innumerable  and  resistless  hosts  poured  over 
the  Netherlands,  this  heroic  people  cut  down  the 
dykes  and  gave  back  their  soil  to  the  ocean  rather 
than  have  it  trampled  by  the  foot  of  the  foe.  [Ap- 
plause.] 

Above  all,  sir,  Holland  is  the  mother  of  this  im- 
perial city  and  this  imperial  State,  as  well  as  of  the 
great  neighboring  commonwealth  of  New-Jersey. 
When  England  so  unwisely  expelled  the  noble  Pil- 
grims, they  found  in  the  Netherlands  a  kindly 
foster-mother.  From  her  they  learned  a  nobler 
civilization,  and  the  true  meaning  of  civil  and  reli- 
gious freedom.  The  mother  of  New- York  and 
New-Jersey  became  the  foster-mother  of  the  six 
New-England  States  as  well.  In  cod  elusion,  the 
Netherlands  declared  their  independence,  and  formed 
their  union  of  distinct  States  two  hundred  years 
before  our  Declaration  of  Independence  was  made 
and  our  Union  formed.  She  was  the  model.  And 
as  such  I  propose  the  sentiment:  ''Holland,  the 
Mother  of  Free  States."     [Applause.] 

Captain  W.  A.  Aeriens,  of  the  Netherlands  ship, 
Van  Speyk,  said  a  few  words  in  reply.  He  thanked 
the  people  of  the  United  States  for  his  welcome,  and 
closed  with  a  toast  to  the  two  countries. 

The  President. — Gentlemen,  we  have  kept  one  of 


41 

the  very  best  for  the  last.  With  great  pleasure  I 
give  you  "  Germany,"  and  call  upon  Mr.  Joseph  H. 
Choate  to  make  the  presentation  speech. 

speech  of  mr.  joseph  h.  ohoate. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Cham- 
ber OF  Commerce  :  I  have  found  so  much  difficulty 
of  late  in  making  myself  understood,  [laughter,]  in 
making  myself  understood  in  my  own  town,  that 
were  it  not  for  the  lateness  of  the  hour  I  should  ask 
to  address  you  in  the  rugged  language  of  that  great 
nation  for  whom  you  bid  me  speak,  and  I  fear  that 
the  struggle  would  prove  fatal  to  many  of  my 
audience.  This  great  and  formidable  nation  that 
you  have  now  named,  Mr.  President,  has  spoken  so 
nobly  for  herself  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century 
that  she  can  well  afford  to  be  spoken  for  last  and 
least  of  all.  [Applause.]  If  the  soul  of  Columbus 
could  have  looked  out,  as  perhaps  it  did,  from  the 
eyes  of  his  illustrious  descendant,  upon  the  events  of 
the  last  few  days,  well  might  he  exclaim,  ''This 
America  that  I  discovered  is  truly  a  wholly  new 
world  ;  for  here  I  behold  the  navies  of  all  the  world 
holding  a  polyglot  peace  conference  in  the  harbor  of 
New- York  ;  here  I  behold  the  representatives  of  all 
the  warring  nations  of  Europe  uniting  in  one  har- 
monious shout  of  welcome  to  Columbia,  my  Colum- 
bia, that  I  discovered  and  occupied,  as  I  supposed, 
for  Spain  alone,  all  making  themselves  as  much  at 
home  as  if  they  thought  her,  as  indeed  she  seems  to 
be,  the  common  heritage  of  all  mankind  !    The  fore- 


42 

most  and  the  most  enthusiastic  of  them  all,  a  new 
and  united  Germany,  that  differs  almost  as  much 
from  the  Germany  of  my  day  as  this  free  and  united 
America  differs  from  that  continent  which  I  added  to 
the  map  of  the  world."     [Applause.] 

I  shall  not  at  this  late  hour  recount  the  debt  of 
gratitude  that  we  owe  to  the  great  German  nation. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  traditions  in  our 
National  annals,  that  when  our  own  illustrious 
Washington  was  engaged  in  the  hottest  of  the 
struggles  of  the  times  that  tried  men's  souls,  the 
great  Frederick,  the  real  founder  of  the  German 
nation,  he  who  made  the  Germany  of  to-day  a  pos- 
sibility, presented  to  Washington  a  sword  with  the 
inscription,  ''From  the  oldest  General  in  the  world 
to  the  greatest."  And  now  I  take  pleasure,  Mr. 
Chairman,  in  proposing  the  health  of  the  young  and 
brilliant  Emperor  of  Germany,  a  perpetual  prosperity 
to  that  mighty  people,  our  cousins,  over  whom  he 
reigns.     [Cheers.] 

The  President. — Gentlemen,  you  will  have 
noticed  that  after  Bishop  Potter's  speech,  pre- 
senting the  toast  "Great  Britain,"  the  British  Ad- 
miral did  not  respond.  He  asked  permission  to 
make  his  response  after  the  regular  toasts  and 
responses  were  all  in,  for  the  reason  that  he  desired 
the  privilege  of  presenting  a  toast  that  he  was  sure 
we  would  all  receive  with  the  same  hearty  good  will 
in  which  it  would  be  offered.  With  very  great 
pleasure,  therefore,  I  now  present  to  you  Yice- 
Admiral  Sir  John  O.  Hopkins,  of  the  British  Navy. 


43 

The  Vice- Admiral,  in  reply,  paid  a  high  tribute  to 
the  courtesy  and  kindness  of  the  people  of  this 
country.  He  said  the  welcome  that  he  and  his 
people  had  received  could  come  only  from  one  really 
kindly  brother  to  another.  He  praised  the  genius  of 
Rear- Admiral  Gheeaedi  for  the  management  of  the 
fleet  in  the  American  waters,  and  closed  with  a  toast 
to  the  "American  Navy,  and  his  good  friend,  Rear- 
Admiral  Gherardi,"  and  followed  it  by  proposing 
and  leading  the  giving  of  three  cheers. 

Every  one  stood  while  he  was  speaking,  and  the 
toast  was  drank  while  the  orchestra  played  *'Hail 
Columbia." 

After  a  few  remarks  from  Rear- Admiral  Ghe- 
rardi, in  which  he  paid  a  high  compliment  to  his 
subordinates  in  command  for  their  admirable  service 
in  the  evolutions  of  the  grand  naval  parade,  the 
Banquet  closed. 


m 


.jm 


